Sorceress of the Second Sphere

1. The Knight of Terriers

In a time of perpetual war, the peace and serenity provided by the whistles and melodies of birds high in the golden autumn canopy was a pleasant and welcome one. Deep in a forest, somewhere in Ruvia, it felt that it had not been touched by the brutalities and miseries that plagued this war between the empires of Isovine and Ruvia.

As one bird tweeted, its echo caused a response from another equally enthusiastic bird, likely telling their tales of their preparations for the coming winter. The echoes caused a rippling effect of other welcoming choruses of tweets encouraging a young man sat at the base of a tree to look up, appreciating their energetic and beautiful songs.

His ginger locks dripped leaving his freckled childish features moist from the showers that befallen not long before. Looking up to the sky, he imagined a rainbow shining down and smiling towards him eager to give a reminder that the showers were gone, and the sun was blushing brightly.

For hours he had sat in the mud, propping himself up against the impressive tree that bore his weight, the rains, even in their brief nature had left him cold and uncomfortable, but his eagerness to succeed was enough to endure the unpleasant with the pleasant.

The cold and damp did not bother him, though. For twenty winters he had graced the earth but he had travelled and endured much. From horrendous deserts to horrid marshlands, he had seen it all, a little rain would not harm anyone.

A clank disrupted his train of thought and also caused some startled birds to flutter away hastily. Glaring along the treeline where several other men hugged up against the sloped trees, a man to his side raised his fist towards the sky, instantly causing a response from the culprit who had caused the noise.

"The men are restless, Sir Peyton." his compatriot commented before staring towards Sir Peyton's freckled face.

Sir Peyton's blue comforting eyes showed no malice despite their previous glare. "Jeffords, I know the men are cold and hungry, but they must endure. The intelligence on the convoy is sound, therefore, until it arrives, we wait."

Jeffords nodded before taking his position behind the tree once more, "Aye, milord."

Sir Peyton looked around at the fifty or so men who all were sat uncomfortably behind the various trees and bushes, before looking down the slope towards a makeshift road. His thoughts became somewhat impatient, knowing that waiting too long would be putting some of his men at risk of hyperthermia or gangrene. At some point, he would need to choose between his duty and his men. The scorn he would receive after allowing Ruvian soldiers to supply the front lines before the winters arrive would be costly. At least he would still have his men.

Another set of birds ascended quickly into the sky before the sound of hooves in the mud could be heard in the distance.

"The scouts," Sir Peyton commented as Jeffords gave the signal for silence to the waiting troops.

Peering around the side of the tree, he watched and waited as the clopping and squelching of hooves grew louder until two riders came into view. Two Ruvian riders, eagerly scanning the road and its surrounding area for any potential attack.

Sir Peyton had trained his men well, ever since he was assigned them two winters ago. They knew the importance of complete silence and they knew exactly what was expected of them in the circumstance. He also knew that if anyone failed in their task, they would be quickly outnumbered by the impending security force travelling just behind the scouts.

The scouts slowly rode past his position, looking directly up towards him. He remained still, peering just enough to keep himself out of sight. Feeling his heart pound in his chest, Peyton knew the irrational excitement that he was feeling was unwarranted. Unless they had superhuman eyesight, their scanning would be pointless.